Powdery substance closes road

Thursday

Sep 6, 2012 at 12:01 AMSep 6, 2012 at 10:46 AM

A construction crew working at the Defense Supply Center, Columbus dug up a mysterious substance yesterday that appeared to burn when it was exposed to air, but investigators there have released little other information.

Theodore Decker, The Columbus Dispatch

A construction crew working at the Defense Supply Center, Columbus dug up a mysterious substance yesterday that appeared to burn when it was exposed to air, but investigators there have released little other information.

The discovery prompted officials to close a short section of Yearling Road north of E. Broad Street in Whitehall, but the public was not at risk, said U.S. Navy Capt. David Pimpo, base commander. The road reopened shortly after 9 p.m.

There were no injuries reported, and most of the base was business as usual throughout the day.

Pimpo said construction workers were working on a new entry gate to the DSCC base on Yearling Road when they unearthed the substance.

“The substance appeared to catch fire and begin to smoke,” Pimpo said.

The crew backed off, and base firefighters responded, along with emergency crews from Columbus and Whitehall.

Base Fire Chief Ken Pence said the substance seemed to be powdery, but officials did not describe it further or speculate on what it might be, how much there was or how it got there.

There are various metals and substances that can react violently when exposed to air and moisture.

Pence and Pimpo said base officials were monitoring the site and testing the air to ensure it was safe. The air tests have found no dangerous airborne substances.

“It’s fully under control,” Pence said.

Opened in 1918 as the Quartermaster Reserve Depot, DSCC in Whitehall became the largest military-supply installation in the world during World War II.

Pimpo said the base will release further information as the investigation progresses.